College and Research Libraries


of Catalogues of Libraries includes all 
thirty-nine of the rules and a substantial 
portion of the preliminary essay. The omis-
sions from the latter are mainly lengthy 
quotations supporting Jewett's arguments 
in addition to the seven opening pages re-
peating (from other sources included) his 
plan for stereotyping the catalog entries. 
The omission of the two pages on the 
"Preparation of Titles so as to Serve for 
both General and Particular Catalogues" 
is to be regretted, however, as important 
to later cataloging codes on such matters 
as editions, copies, and size. 

The book is a valuable source for those 
not havi'ng access to the complete works. 
Nevertheless this reviewer was somewhat 
disappointed, especially by the quality of 
Harris' essay. It is more a biographical 
than a "substantive critical" essay and its 
tone is more panegyric than critical. Fur-
thermore, a more sophisticated style might 
be expected from a writer of Harris' ex-
perience.-Edith Scott, The Library of 
Congress. 

Goodell, John S. Libraries and Work Sam-
pling. (Challenge to Change: Library 
Applications of New Concepts, no.1) 
Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 
Inc., 1975. 60p. $5.00 pa. (LC 7 4-
79026) (ISBN 0-87287-087-1) 
Goodell's book is an auspicious begin-

ning for this new series, giving an easy-to-
understand presentation of a technical sub-
ject. For those unfamiliar with the topic, 
an example of work sampling is the use of 
statistical methods to determine the per-
centages of the total time circulation clerks 
spend on their various duties. The informa-
tion obtained can then be used to establish 
a better work schedule. Properly per-
formed, work sampling can be a valuable 
management tool for making more effective 
use of limited resources. 

The author does a commendable job of 
presenting a library-oriented introduction 
to work sampling. He :first reviews the 
theory of sampling and then explains the 
:five steps of a typical study. There are nu-
merous examples, tables of statistical infor-
mation, clear instructions for using the ta-
bles, and :finally there is a review of the 
literature of sampling as applied to li-

Recent Publications I 175 

braries. Statistical terminology and mathe-
matics have been kept to a minimum, and 
few people will have trouble understanding 
the material. 

This compact book must be read with 
great care: Its brevity leaves too little room 
for discussion of areas where the beginner 
may encounter problems. One can obtain 
poor results through the use of a biased 
sample, or through failure to deflne the 
problem properly, or through a lack of ap-
proval and cooperation by the people con-
cerned. Goodell touches on these areas, but 
his warnings are not strong enough. Inac-
curate work sampling studies can have 
harmful effects that may be difficult to 
overcome. 

With proper regard for the techniques 
of work sampling, almost anyone can pro-
duce useful studies with only a little experi-
ence. Goodell's book is an excellent one for 
the librarian or graduate student interested 
in learning the basics, but further informa-
tion will be necessary. Detailed guidance 
on making and using work sampling studies 
will have to come from experienced practi-
tioners and through studying the publica-
tions the author lists in his bibliography.-
Edward Gibson, Assistant Librarian, Wash-
ington College, Chestertown, Maryland. 

Davies, D. W. Public Libraries as Culture 
and Social Centers: The Origin -of the 
Concept. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 
1974. 167p. $6.00. (LC 74-8420) (ISBN 
0-8108-07 38-6) 
David W. Davies, long an academic li-

brarian and a historian and typophile as 
well, here turns a critical, somewhat ironi-
cal eye on the relationship between goals 
and programs of public libraries in Great 
Britain and North America. On the basis 
of both his particular point of view and his 
research-which is stronger for the early 
nineteenth century than for later years, es-
pecially our own time-he sees public li-
braries as having been diverted from their 
legitimate function, the provision of books 
and a place to read, by a faulty conception 
of their social role. Though he promises to 
follow the progress of scholarly along with 
popular libraries, the entire book, except 
for a few paragraphs, is devoted to the 
latter; there is no attention given to the re-



176 I College & Research Libraries • March 1976 

search collections and scholarly work of 
large public libraries as they may relate to 
his major theme. 

Davies argues that public libraries, 
founded by nineteenth-century upper- and 
middle-class philanthropists convinced of 
the perfectibility of humankind, eager to 
uplift the masses, and persuaded that read-
ing was intrinsically virtuous and refining, 
were, like other educational and cultural 
institutions, started by similar people and 
for similar re~sons (lyceums, athenaeums, 
literary and scientific societies, mechanics' 
institutes), paternalistic and elitist. Being 
neither initiated by the people they were 
endeavoring to improve nor, as it turned 
out, heavily patronized by them, libraries 
suffered from the contradiction between the 
high aims of their founders and the low 
level of their use. Most people simply did 
not read, and even fewer would read · seri-
ous books. So public libraries, unlike schol-
arly libraries with their ready-made and 
motivated clienteles, resorted to "nonbook" 
activities to .attract the populace: classes, 
festivals, exhibitions, lectures, contests, ex-
cursions, slide shows, performances of 
plays, film showings, concerts, even karate 
demonstrations. The object was thus to 
stimulate somehow the reading of books, 
and failing that, to make libraries "centers 
of culture" or "social and entertainment 
centers"-all without evidence of success 
and in face of a perpetually small reading 
public and competition from more powerful 
and more efficient purveyors of culture, 
social services, and entertainment. Unable 
or unwilling to confront these realities, pub-
lic libraries .remain anachronistic institu-
tions on the nineteenth-century uplift mod-
el, mindlessly emulating the long gone 
lyceums, et al. They would do well instead 
to confine themselves to a perfectly respect-
able and useful role as specialized agencies 
dealing with books and with information 
gleaned from books. 

This is an awfully simple solution to a 
not-so-simple set of problems, and therein 
is the basic limitation of Davies' book. The 
subject is bigger and more complex than his 
slender treatment of it, so that the strength 
of his views makes the book thesis-ridden. 
As a work of history, it is a sketchy survey, 
mildly provocative, slightly idiosyncratic, 

and highly opinionated. This is too . bad, as 
Davies does have something to say.---Phyl-
lis Dain, Associate Professor,. School of Li-
brary Service, Columbia University. 

Faculty Status for Academic Librarians: A 
History and Policy Statements. Compiled 
by the Committee on Academic Status 
of the Association of College and Re-
search Libraries. Chicago: American Li-
brary Assn., 1975. 55p. $3.50. (LC 75-
29403) (ISBN 0-8389-5455-8) 
The object of this booklet, compiled by 

the Committee on Academic Status of 
ACRL, is to make available basic docu-
ments related to faculty status for academi~ 
librarians. It includes the · "Standards for 
Faculty Status for College and University 
Librarians" (adopted by ACRL in June 
1971); the 1974 "Statement on Faculty 
Status of College and University Librari-
ans" as drafted by a committee of the 
ACRL, AAC, and AAUP; and a "Model 
Statement of Criteria and Procedures for 
Appointment, Promotion in Academic 
Rank, and Tenure for College and Univer-
sity Librarians" (approved by the ACRL 
in 1974). 

It is good to have all of this material now 
available in one place. A special addition 
to this volume is the essay by the late Ar-
thur M. McAnally, "Status of the Universi-
ty Librarian in the Academic Community," 
reprinted from the 1971 volume, Research 
Librarianship: Essays in Honor of Robert 
B. Downs (Bowker). As a review of 
the literature, it is excellent; and what he 
says is eminently sensible, especially about 
the evolution of librarian faculty status. As 
a brief summary of future developments, 
it is particularly interesting since four years 
have passed; and the budget situations at 
many schools now make some of his pos-
sibilities seem more elusive than ever, par-
ticularly the nine-montl_l year .. What he 
does emphasize is that the whole question 
of faculty status is complex and interrelated 
with many factors. 

All library faculties or departments 
should reread the June 1971 ACRL "Stan-
dards for Faculty Status for College and 
University Librarians" and ·apply the . cri-
teria to themselves. How many: can say 
"We dol" to all nine standards? Finally,